Movies for Summer

I have been complaining of late that I need more things to look forward to, and I’ve been counting movies as big events.  I’m relying on summer blockbusters, full of explosions, cheesy jokes, chase scenes, and otherwise bubble-gummy wonders to make up for the “no summer break” portion of the work year.

To this end, when I saw Alyssa Rosenberg’s “When the Gun Goes Bang, Bang, Bang” post today about a movie due in August, “The Other Guys,” I was reminded of an old habit that I was once in: listing the movies I want to see, getting lists from others, and then trying to check that list off as they’re seen.

So, here’s my plans for the summer. I know I won’t see all of them, and there will be others that aren’t on this list that I do see, but here’s what caught my eye today:

April 16: Kick-Ass. I am most amused by the girl hero, though the entire premise — regular people trying to behave like superheroes, in a world that doesn’t have movie rules — entertains me. This sounds like a perfect  popcorn combo movie (shared among equally fun-loving movie folks).

Death at a Funeral. It’s unlikely that I’ll see this in the theater, though I admit to a certain curiosity, having recently watched the British movie it based on/ripped from. I’m not sure I believe that Chris Rock can step into the quietly outraged (emphasis on quietly) role played by Matthew McFadden, but I might enjoy watching that attempt.

April 23: The Losers. This looks like pure, high-summer fun, a film full of misfits, explosions, and conspiracies. Bonus: Idris Elba. And The Comedian.

May 7: Iron Man 2. I don’t know the comics well enough (OK, at all) to be able to cheer for the inclusion of specific characters or villains, but I so, so enjoyed the first one that I’m incredibly happy to have the second one here already.  Robert Downey Jr. wise-cracking and saving the world alongside Don Cheadle? Sign me up.

May 14: OK, this might be cheesy, but I kind of want to see Just Wright. I understand I’ll be seeing it alone.  And probably at the dollar theater.

May 28: Prince of Persia. I had no idea Jake Gyllenhaal was trying to prove he would’ve made a better Spider-Man, still, but I’ll be happy to watch his belated audition tape.

Sex and the City 2. I saw the first one, and it was kind of mindlessly fun, so the second seems within the realm of summer viewing possibilities.

June 11: The A-Team.  Just to wash SATC2 out of my hair, I guess,and also because I can think of three guys who will be deeply worried/offended if I don’t attend with great enthusiasm.

June 18: Toy Story 3. Hooray!

July 2: The Last Airbender. I don’t know anything about this film except that every time there’s a new trailer, or a new whisper of a trailer, C watches it like it might reveal the secret of the universe, and has pinned his hopes on M. Night Shyamalan loving his children too much to screw up the film. I have no doubt I’ll be going to see this, possibly the first night it opens.

July 9: The Kids are All Right.  Well, this breaks the happy-summer-movie mold, but it looks enticing (and also like it might not hit my town’s theaters until fall). Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star as partners who each conceived a child through a sperm donor; now, their daughters are grown, and one sister convinces the other they should look for their father. I love Moore and have usually loved Bening’s work, so I think this could be quite good.

July 16: I am iffy on both of these, but The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Inception both come out that weekend.  Inception should be right up my normal summer alley — it has Christopher Nolan directing and Leonardo DiCaprio acting. But I just don’t know enough about it, even after seeing the trailer, to know whether I’m interested.

SA — I think one Nic Cage movie a summer might be enough for me, but I have a feeling C is interested.

July 23: Salt?  Probably not, but I might still be convinced.

July 30: The Adjustment Bureau. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in a world-twisting Philip K. Dick story? Sure, why not.

Get Low. This looks depressing as all hell, but Robert DuVall’s character throwing a funeral for himself at Bill Murray’s character’s funeral home, with Sissy Spacek in there somewhere, makes me want to see this.

I Love You Philip Morris. I may have already seen enough Jim Carrey movies this year (0), but this story — Carrey tries to win back the love of his prison cell mate, Philip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor — sounds bizarre enough to get me to the theater. I’m sure I’ll want air conditioning by then.

August 6: The above-mentioned The Other Guys. It’s like Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals, where Animals=Will Ferrell.

August 13: Scott Pilgrim v. The World. Michael Cera battling supervillains to win his girlfriend’s love? OK.  More popcorn, please!